1 begin with the acquisitions elevator message how

(1) Begin with the Acquisition’s “ Elevator Message ”
How many solicitations have you seen that begin with a statement like, “ This is a solicitation for a
time-and-materials contract. ” Or what about this one: “ The purpose of this solicitation is to acquire
information technology hardware, software, and services. ” Or this one (true story): “ This is a
performance-based specification to acquire services on a time-and-materials basis. ” In the context of
performance-based acquisition, all are bad starts.
The first statement made in a statement of objectives should be an explanation of how the acquisition
relates to the agency’s program or mission need and what problem needs solving (as identified under
step two).
For example, in a task order solicitation by the Veterans Benefits Administration, this statement was
made:
The purpose of this task order is to obtain loan servicing in support of VA’s portfolio that will
significantly improve loan guaranty operations and service to its customers.
This simple statement was a signal that the acquisition had made a huge break from the predecessor
contract, which had started with something like, “ This is a requirement for information technology
resources. ” The turnaround was the realization that the need was for loan servicing support services;
technology was the enabler.
(2) Describe the Scope
A short description of scope in the SOO helps the competitors get a grasp on the size and range of the
servic es needed. The Veteran’s Benefits Administration’s scope statement follows:
The purpose of this [task order] is to provide the full range of loan servicing support. This includes
such activities as customer management, paying taxes and insurance, default management,
accounting, foreclosure, bankruptcy, etc., as well as future actions associated with loan servicing. This
Statement of Objectives reflects current VA policies and practices, allowing offerors to propose and
price a solution to known requirements. It is anticipated that specific loan servicing requirements and
resulting objectives will change over the life of this order. This will result in VA modifying this order
to incorporate in-scope changes.
Another consideration is the budget authority (in dollars) available to fund the acquisition. In an
acquisition approach as “ wide open ” as a statement of objectives, the competing contractors will need
insight into funding authority so that they can size their solution to be both realistic and competitive.
This can be listed as a constraint.

COR II Training Business Management Research Associates, Inc.
Performance-Based Acquisition
21-089 IX-14
(3) Write the Performance Objectives into the SOO
In step two, the task was to “ decide what problem needs solving. ” The basis for that decision was
information in the agency’s strategic and annual performance plans, program authorization documents,
budget documents, and discussions with project owners and stakeholders. That information constitutes
the core of the statement of objectives.